The Grim Reaper
Won-goo sat across from Kane, sipping tea.
Ever since the Frog incident, Kane had been in high spirits, and he broke into a smile the moment he saw Won-goo walk in.
"You have a favor to ask? Well, as long as it's nothing too serious, I suppose I have to hear you out. It's not like we're strangers—you're asking for Won-goo's sake, after all."
"I truly appreciate you making time for me like this, Shelter Master."
"So what is it?"
"I'd like to have one name removed from the shelter's blacklist."
"Hmm... that's not exactly an easy favor."
"Still, it's not serious serious."
Won-goo slid the documents across the table. When Kane saw what was inside, his brow furrowed slightly.
"I know this one. He caused a huge incident and ran off, didn't he?"
"He did. He's cleaned up his act since."
"You're sure he's actually cleaned up?"
"I'll keep him close and monitor him myself."
"Hmm..."
"Look here—all the shop owners have already signed off. Everyone wants him back. He's a talent we genuinely need."
"Won-goo."
"...?"
"The mood in this shelter is really good right now. And I'd very much like to keep it that way. You understand what I'm saying, don't you?"
"Of course. I'll manage him so he doesn't cause any trouble."
Kane signed the documents.
Screeeech!
"Good. Dinosaur, bring it in a little more."
"Yes, sir, Director!"
"Line it up right next to the office."
Dinosaur was hauling an enormous container toward them.
It was no ordinary container. This one had been modified for people to actually live in.
They were mostly used by those who couldn't afford to build a proper home in the shelter.
They had the advantage of offering far more usable space than a trailer.
The downside was that they were difficult to take out into the Field.
Within the shelter, containers were often used in place of trailers for exactly that reason.
"Director Gong, is this really the right move? As far as Gu-sik's concerned, we might as well be his mortal enemies..."
"It is, Director. With Gu-sik and Chi-soo, an assassination would be entirely within their power..."
"Didn't I tell you before? There's a famous saying. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. It's easier to keep watch on someone when they're right next to you. Besides, that bastard Gu-sik... he's useful. He fights well, for one."
"Hyung-nim, isn't even that starting to fall behind these days?"
As Won-goo was talking with Jo Mu-sa, a familiar voice drifted over. It was Sapiens.
"You're here? You brought them?"
"Yes, I brought them. Though I'm still not sure this is the right call."
Behind him stood Oh Gu-sik's people.
Five in all, led by the still-slight-framed Yeong Chi-soo.
"His growth did stall for a while."
"I heard that's pretty fatal in this line of work."
"Gu-sik is the exception."
"The exception?"
"The coins Gu-sik's spent... I'd say it's a bit above the average Named. And yet he fights well, doesn't he? Once you've got roughly the right number of coins, what matters after that is experience and talent. And talent matters more than experience."
"So you're saying Gu-sik has talent."
"Exactly. My eye for people is dead accurate, you know."
"Well... can't argue with that."
"Now bring Gu-sik in."
Won-goo handed the documents to Sapiens.
"Here is the Sajung's report."
Ganjeol didn't even glance at it, turning instead to Tak.
"You answer. A Seju really came, didn't he?"
"Yes. As expected, a Seju did come. And it's true that magic was used."
"Then why is he still alive?"
"The Seju did cast his magic, but..."
"Don't tell me you've come back with the absurd conclusion that Gong Won-goo is skilled enough to block a Seju's magic?"
Ganjeol's brows drew together.
"No, sir. The Seju attacked with magic, and by their estimate, at least three were lost."
"Three?"
"Yes. He cast fire at one target, and the others were reportedly caught in the blast trying to save him."
"Hmm... that means he moved exactly as intended. Which makes it even harder to understand. What do you say, Tak?"
"That's... for some reason, the fourth Seju appears to have ceased his attack and withdrawn."
BANG!
Tak flinched at Ganjeol's reaction. This time, Ganjeol had slammed his hand down on the desk.
But he'd restrained his strength far more than before, and the desk was unharmed.
"Wasn't that what I sent you to find out? There was a fire that big, and now you're telling me it wasn't the Seju who set it?"
"W-well... could it be that the person the Seju attacked rolled around and the flames spread...?"
"A fire like that doesn't just happen. Don't tell me... that bastard Gong Won-goo... Bring me everything we have on Gong Won-goo."
As Ganjeol calmly combed through the files, his face twisted.
"There it is. This bastard did breathe fire..."
"..."
"Where are the executives?"
"They've all assembled."
"Tell them to be more careful around Gong Won-goo."
"Yes, sir."
"For now, we strike Buri Island and observe their reaction. Tell them to move out."
"Understood."
"These are the ones I've judged to be your best matchups."
Won-goo said, holding up the profiles of the Ganjeol Point executives.
Gu-sik read through the files with a level expression.
"They'll be moving separately, right?"
"Most likely. That's how Ganjeol Point has always operated."
"But there's a chance they won't."
"The executives don't get along. You think that's a coincidence? No. Ganjeol cultivated it deliberately."
"Making them watch each other so no one can covet his seat?"
"His seat would be hard to challenge either way. But Ganjeol's greed comes by the bundle."
"So there are factions even within that..."
"Which is why the plan is to hit them in the middle."
"Ttang-gu, I'll grant that you have a gift for handling incidents, but what if it doesn't work out?"
"You mean if they come at Buri Island as one lump?"
Won-goo snorted. Gu-sik paid the reaction no mind and applied eye drops.
They looked like ordinary eye drops, but their composition was something else entirely.
With his body so heavily reinforced, even his sensitive eyes could absorb the compounds directly.
They'd originally been developed to sharpen vision, but later versions had grown far more potent.
This delivery method suited Gu-sik best, so he used it often.
"Right. And if they do come as one lump?"
"Then we simply fall back and wait. They're the attacking side here. Why would they grow their force into a big, obvious target when it just means we get to prepare for them right here?"
"Hmm..."
"And trust the data. Organizations as big as Ganjeol Point can't change their stripes easily."
"I'll play along and see."
"Honestly..."
"What about backup? You're not seriously planning to make me take them alone?"
"Of course you'll have support. The Mosquito Clan is joining you."
"Fine, as long as they fill out the numbers. Chi-soo and I will be doing the real work anyway."
"Then we're done here? If anyone on this list shows up in your zone, you engage. If someone else appears, you call it in and support goes to you. Especially Badugi. That one you take seriously. The moment you spot him, you run. Don't get cocky and die for nothing."
"Why is this guy classified as the most dangerous? He's not even an enhancement type."
"Ganjeol Point isn't a finished army. Ganjeol isn't open-minded enough for that. His executives form the core, and the rest are supporting crews built around them."
"That's how it always is. Any organization that isn't?"
"Badugi is the exception. Personally, I think he's harder to deal with than Ganjeol himself."
"...?"
Gu-sik's interest was piqued.
"He's that good?"
"Whoa there. What, did you just come back from a trip to Planet Apollo? Your eyes are bloodshot as hell."
"I made the dose a little strong."
"You mixing reinforcements into it too? You've got to be careful with anything that goes in the eyes."
"I'm the specialist in this area, not you. I fought on this stuff, remember? At this point you wouldn't even be capable of talking to me. You'd already be in hell."
"You lost the moment you couldn't finish the argument with your mouth."
"I was just a little hasty back then."
"Right. That little bit of haste. That's exactly what separates life from death. Anyway, this isn't some incident you get to joke around with. Stick to the plan."
"Got it. Spot Badugi, break off immediately, and call it in. That the gist?"
"That's it. Badugi is close to a finished team all by himself."
"He's classified as a healer? Does he synergize with his surroundings like you do?"
"That too, but Badugi isn't just a healer. He's not a support either."
"Then what is he?"
"He moves everyone around him using a whole arsenal of different buffs. If you let him set the board, he becomes a nightmare to pin down. A commander, I guess you'd call it?"
"Never fought a type like that..."
"Which is why you avoid him. Guys like that, you either beat them in a game of moves, or you bury them under raw firepower before they ever get the board down. And you're capable of neither."
Gu-sik nodded along as the explanation ended.
"I'm off."
Won-goo headed for the trailer.
"I swear I don't get what this is. Out of nowhere, we're ordered to crack open Buri Island. Does this make any sense to you?"
The man in full military gear was known as Army. He'd made his name wielding a long combat knife with breathtaking skill.
"What can you do? Kain is the boss's son, after all."
"Exactly—so even if he screws up, he should screw up in moderation. What the hell is this? He drags the royal guard out on a whim? What is wrong with that bastard's brain? There should be limits to how senseless a person can be."
"Well, our job is to carry out the order first. The one mercy here is that we're not being sent to rescue that bastard Kain. If it were really that..."
"Right. If it were, I'd have wanted to just kill him instead. That moron. With a body like his, you'd think there'd be no one dumber alive."
Nod.
The man answering Army was known as Sonjabi—a nickname he'd earned for being able to throw anything with a handle on it.
True to his name, he possessed a Gift that granted powerful buffs to all thrown weapons.
The two of them moved through the forest at a leisurely pace.
Then Army's footsteps stopped.
"What?"
"There's something up ahead."
"Something? The pathfinders did their job right. This is the correct route."
Sonjabi tilted his head. Army turned to look at the subordinates behind them.
"Look over there. Our line of sight cuts off completely. Suspicious, isn't it?"
Even within the same forest, some spots were cleverly screened from view.
"Go take a quiet look."
"You think it's a monster?"
"Could be. But if it is, that just means the pathfinders screwed up their job."
Army's subordinate hunched low and crept forward.
The moment he reached the designated point, a dull thud rang out.
THWACK!
His head burst open on impact, and he never got back up.
"Not a monster, then."
Oh Gu-sik stepped into the open.
"You're striking first? At Sabbath? Against us?"
"Looks that way."
Army and Sonjabi turned to read each other's expressions.
Because the whole thing was absurd.
Even by headcount alone, their side outnumbered the enemy several times over.
What they'd expected was a desperate, grinding defense—a slow bleed of time.
Stall long enough, and Sabbath's advantage grew: their manpower was stationed comparatively close by.
Anyone could see that was the most rational approach, the one that shed the least blood.
"Just how far up his ass does Ganjeol have his head stuck to make a call like this? Does he actually think he can pick us off one by one?"
"Did he sleep through the Joseon era too? That's when fighting by headcount died."
Oh Gu-sik had closed the distance before anyone noticed, and he spoke.
Behind him stood Yeong Chi-soo in full combat rig, along with the fighters of the Mosquito Clan.
It was a bold entrance—but against the force Ganjeol Point had brought, it was laughably thin.
"Nice trash talk. But who are you exactly? Did you come today thinking it's your funeral?"
"Yeah. Who are you?"
Sonjabi chimed in.
"I'm the Grim Reaper, you bastards."
With bloodshot eyes burning crimson, Oh Gu-sik charged without a flicker of hesitation.